1. Field of Invention
The invention is an attachment for a fifth wheel trailer hitch generally mounted within the bed of a vehicle to prevent damage to the vehicle in the event that the fifth wheel hitch fails due to faulty hook-up, the invention including a horizontal cross bar, two perpendicularly attached side bars with paired sets of bolt holes for mounting to the fifth wheel trailer hitch, a slide channel attached to the horizontal cross bar having an upper catch plate secured to the slide channel, and at least four bolts with lock nuts.
2. Description of Prior Art
The following United States patents were discovered and are disclosed within this application for utility patent. All relate to trailer hitch devices, specifically fifth wheel hitches or pivot plate hitches. However, none of them have any utility remotely relative to the current invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,492 to Ceccarelli, III, an fifth wheel hitch attaching to an underlift T-bar mechanism is disclosed, wherein a fifth wheel hitch may be installed in a box hitch of a vehicle to tow a fifth wheel trailer. A lock mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,839,745 to Cattau and 3,823,960 to Boggs, which provide a secondary lock for retaining the fifth wheel pin within the locking plate of the fifth wheel hitch.
Some patents deal with safety coupling devices for fifth wheel hitches which provide a secondary attachment on the fifth wheel hitch in the event of kingpin failure, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,633,940 to Sinnard and 2,738,205 to Vaugoyeau. A safety plug for a fifth wheel hitch is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,961 to Korodi, while an anti-jack-knifing control bar is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,966 to Hawkins.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,060 to Van Andel discloses a platform mounted to the bed of a pickup which includes three channels, one front and two side channels surrounding a restraining plate which catches a kingpin which escapes the confines of the fifth wheel hitch due to accident or human error preventing damage to the bed and side rails of the towing vehicle. This device attaches to the base frame of the fifth wheel hitch and rides below the bottom plate of the fifth wheel hitch. It does not retain the kingpin in relative proximity to the flared mouth of the upper plate, positioning the kingpin for reattachment. Van Andel ""060 also does not confine the kingpin in a lateral dimension, which allows the towed fifth wheel trailer to move and sway laterally, increasing the potential of a xe2x80x9cjack-knifexe2x80x9d or loss of control of the towed vehicle.
The primary objective of the invention is to provide a device attaching to a fifth wheel trailer hitch to protect the vehicle from damage in the event of a failed engagement of the fifth wheel hitch and the kingpin of the trailer at hookup or during detachment caused by the kingpin coming loose from the hitch and dropping onto the bed rails of the vehicle bed.
A second objective is to provide a device which maintains general alignment with the fifth wheel trailer hitch for re-engagement of the kingpin during the stopping motion of the vehicle, also preventing lateral sway of the fifth wheel trailer when disengaged from the fifth wheel hitch while confined in the fifth wheel safety catch of the current invention.